Linda Fielder

As the Animal Cruelty Investigations Manager for the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Criminal Justice Program, Linda Fielder provides prosecutors, law enforcement, veterinarians, animal control officers, and animal rescues with essential operational and forensic support on criminal animal cruelty cases. Linda leads extensive training of these entities on evidence collection, scene processing, veterinary forensics, and sheltering of protective custody animal victims.

Linda has over 25 years of experience in animal protection. Prior to joining the Animal Legal Defense Fund, as Director of Shelter Medicine and Humane Investigations at the Oregon Humane Society, Linda supervised a fully operational 12,000 square foot veterinary teaching hospital and lead a law enforcement division with statewide jurisdiction that addressed thousands of reports of animal cruelty every year. In these roles, Linda was able to gain unique insight about the intersection of veterinary forensics and animal cruelty investigations, particularly with respect to large-scale cases, cases involving unique species of animals, and investigations into non-accidental injury to animals. She conceptualized and oversaw the Emergency Animal Sheltering certification program, one of the first in the country, at the Oregon Humane Society. A program that directly served, not only the Humane Investigations Department but facilitated a national response to natural disasters and animal cruelty cases. Serving as Incident Commander on numerous crime scenes, Linda is accustomed to interfacing with every stakeholder necessary for a successful investigation.  Linda’s breadth of knowledge encompasses every aspect and phase of an animal cruelty investigation and prosecution, making her a unique asset in the field.

Linda was one of the first Certified Animal Welfare Administrators in the state of Oregon, is a Certified Property and Evidence Specialist, and has completed the FBI-LEEDA Executive Command Leadership Institutes.

Outside of work, Linda enjoys making pottery and exploring the local coastlines and tidepools with Sunny, a former street dog from Mexico. She also owns a houseplant shop in the front of her home on the Pacific Coast Highway in Oregon.